Difference Between Communicable Disease and Non-Communicable Disease

Main Difference

The main difference between communicable disease and non-communicable disease is that Communicable diseases are those diseases that can spread from person to person, whereas, non-communicable diseases are those which do not spread and are non-contagious.

Communicable Disease vs. Non-Communicable Disease

An unhealthy condition of the body or mind is known as Disease which may affect different parts of the body or the entire body. There is a wide number of diseases in this universe with their characteristics and causes. Some of these diseases are easily detectable, while others are detected in the later stage of life. Some diseases may spread from one person to another which are known as communicable diseases whereas others cannot spread from person to person and known as non-communicable diseases. Pathogens spread communicable diseases whereas noncommunicable diseases caused by malnutrition, illness, abnormalities in cell proliferation or changes in the environment, etc. Communicable diseases may also be inherited whereas noncommunicable diseases cannot be inherited. Examples of communicable diseases are AIDS, flu, typhoid, and dysentery, etc. while those of noncommunicable diseases are cancer, allergies, diabetes, strokes, etc.

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Comparison Chart

Communicable Disease

Non-Communicable Disease

Communicable diseases are the diseases that spread from one person to another.

Non-communicable diseases are those, which do not spread and are non-contagious

Examples

Cold, flu, typhoid, AIDS, and dysentery.

Cancer, allergies, diabetes, and strokes.

Causes

It is caused by pathogens and known as highly infectious, and spread through vectors from one person to another.

The main reasons for non-communicable diseases are an allergy, illness, malnutrition or abnormalities in cell proliferation, changes in lifestyle and environment.

Infecting Agents

Bacteria and virus are its infecting agents.

There is no infectious agent for non-communicable diseases.

Inheritance

A communicable disease is not an inherited disease.

The non-communicable disease can be inherited from one generation to another.

Treatment

This disease is treated by conventional methods.

It is treated conservatively or surgically.

Type

A communicable disease is an acute disease and develops quickly.

Non-communicable disease is a chronic disease, and it develops slowly and lasts for a long period.

Precautions

Precautions to avoid communicable diseases are Wear mask, wash your hands every time, avoid sharing items with others and stay away from the infected person.

Precautions to avoid non-communicable diseases are, should go for regular body checkup, do exercise daily, maintain a proper diet and take proper sleep and rest.

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What is Communicable Disease?

A communicable disease is a disease that can transfer from one person to another either directly or indirectly. Direct spread may include transmission from infected feces, blood or other body fluids whereas contact through indirect means includes transmission through the water, food, insects, and air, etc. Some of the common symptoms of communicable disease are diarrhea, vomiting, dysentery, muscles ache, headache, flu, malaria, rabies, running nose, itching, fever, and cough, etc. Sexually transmitted communicable diseases are ulcers in the genital areas, smelly, grayish or greenish discharge, lesions found in sexual organs and other parts of the body if the infection has already spread. These diseases are known as acute as they develop quickly. Common causing agents are Bacteria (whooping cough, gonorrhea, tuberculosis, etc), Viruses (measles, hepatitis, AIDS), Protozoa (malaria, dysentery), and Fungi (ringworm, athlete’s foot), etc.

What is Non-Communicable Disease?

Non-Communicable diseases are the diseases that cannot spread from one person to another, so they are non-contagious and are caused by changes in lifestyle, environmental changes, allergy, malnutrition, eating habits, long-term illness, maybe heredity or side effects of the medicine. These are chronic diseases and spread slowly. Its examples are diabetes, strokes, allergy, excessive hunger, thirst, blurred vision, obesity, frequent urination, blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and hypertension, etc. precautionary measures can be used to prevent communicable diseases like proper diet, proper exercise according to the age, and the regular body checkup etc. These diseases can be treated by conservative methods or surgery, depending upon the kind of disease.

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Key Differences

Communicable diseases are those disease that spread from one person to another, whereas, non-communicable diseases are those, which do not spread and are non-contagious.

The main examples of communicable disease are cold, flu, typhoid, AIDS, and dysentery; on the other hand, the main examples of the non-communicable disease are cancer, allergies, diabetes, and strokes.

A communicable disease is caused by pathogens and known as highly infectious and spread through vectors from one person to another. Conversely, the main reasons for non-communicable diseases are an allergy, illness, malnutrition or abnormalities in cell proliferation, changes in lifestyle and environment

Bacteria and virus are the infecting agents of communicable diseases, while, there is no infectious agent for non-communicable diseases.

A communicable disease is not an inherited disease; on the flip side, the non-communicable disease can be inherited from one generation to another.

A communicable disease is treated by conventional methods, whereas, the non-communicable disease is treated conservatively or surgically.

A communicable disease is an acute disease and develops quickly, conversely, the non-communicable disease is a chronic disease, and it develops slowly and lasts for a long period.

Precautions to avoid communicable diseases are wear mask, wash your hands every time, avoid sharing items with others and stay away from the infected person, but precautions to avoid non-communicable diseases should go for regular body checkup, do exercise daily, maintain a proper diet and take proper sleep and rest.

Comparison Video

Conclusion

From the above discussion, it is summarized that communicable disease is the diseases that can spread from person to person directly or indirectly whereas, the noncommunicable disease is the disease that cannot transfer from one person to another. Communicable diseases cannot be inherited while the noncommunicable disease can be inherited from parents to offspring.

Janet White is a writer and blogger for Difference Wiki since 2015. She has a master's degree in science and medical journalism from Boston University. Apart from work, she enjoys exercising, reading, and spending time with her friends and family. Connect with her on Twitter @Janet__White